This is your future, world

Ketan Patel is the soothsayer who has the ear of governments. John-Paul Flintoff hears his predictions

Ketan Patel does not use tea leaves or crystal balls. But he does predict the future. He founded and until recently headed the department responsible for identifying global trends at Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s most successful investment banks. He has advised governments and corporations on future strategy and now he is offering some forecasts for the rest of us to ponder.

A political leader will be assassinated in Britain, Russia or the United States. The dollar will collapse, leading to the failure of the world’s mightiest economy. One of the fast-growing Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) will disintegrate amid political upheaval. America will intervene in Iran. Another tsunami, earthquake or global disease pandemic will kill thousands.

These are some of the bleak predictions outlined in Patel’s book, The Master Strategist. “None of these scenarios is necessarily real,” he says coolly when I meet him.